Of unexpected meetings and peculiar friendships
by fantasy-nat
Summary: When what was supposed to be a simple chase after bandits turns out for the worst, the knights of Camelot find themselves needing the help of a mysterious girl. Who's she? Why does she wants to help Merlin so much? And how will Arthur react? No slash. (sorry for the title, it's awful)


**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, only the plot line**

**Hi! It's my first time writing fanfiction, even if I have been reading some for a while now, so I hope you'll enjoy, and that I'm not being too ridiculous with this.**

**Also know that English is not my mother tongue so I apologize if the style is a bit odd or if there are too much mistakes.**

**Now on with the story!**

They set out at dawn. All of them, the noble nights of Camelot, and of course, right behind them, the familiar lanky figure of king Arthur's manservant, Merlin, who was muttering curses against one thing (probably the king) or another (probably whatever they were supposed to be doing) . The sight was so familiar that most people didn't even bother to glance at them as they rode through the market place, going no doubt on some perilous quest to fend off an evil sorcerer. The reality was not so noble. Actually, King Arthur -also known as the King of Prats- had decided that he was bored and that they could all use a bit of adventure -to keep his knights from becoming rusty. In fact, no evil sorcerer, machiavellian plans from Morgana nor huge and dangerous beast had come to disrupt the tranquility of Camelot for a whole two months and Arthur was desperate for something, anything that wouldn't involve him sitting for hours listening to bickering counselors about the most mundane thing. As such, he had planned to go on a nice little hunting trip to get off some steam, but when a peasant had come forward to ask some help from Camelot against bandits, he couldn't let pass the occasion and immediately announced that he, along with the knights of the Round Table, were to ride at dawn to offer protection to this man and his village. And so here they were, all looking regal and very knightish (yes that's a word), even Gwaine though he did seem to waver a bit on his saddle (and that had nothing to do whatsoever with the bar fight which had taken place between two drunkards at the Sun Rising tavern the night before).

Soon enough they were in the familiar forest surrounding the castle, going at a leisurely pace for they didn't want to tire their horses too quickly and as there was actually very little chances for the bandits to attack the same village again so soon they were in no kind of hurry. Actually, between the chirping birds, the first rays of sun which promised a sunny and pleasant day, they could have been on a holiday. That is, if a certain manservant could stop whining...

"...but no, of course, the great King Arthur couldn't have simply sent men to take care of that matter, it's not as if he had an entire _army_ at his disposal, he just had to..."

At that point, most of them had resorted to simply tuning him out so that could enjoy their ride peacefully, except for Gwaine who seemed to enjoy his ride all the more so that Merlin was berating the princess and Arthur, who was very much considering how hard he would have to hit him for the insufferable manservant to stay unconscious long enough for them to stop for the night and then he would just have to drown him with chores so that he wouldn't have any time to even think about complaining. In the end, his patience ran out before he had found a suitable answer so he merely settled for the usual threats:

"Merlin? Shut up if you don't want me to send you to the stocks for at least three days when we get back!"

Merlin didn't answer but he _did_ shut up, even though Leon could have sworn hearing something which sounded like "clotpole" as Merlin turned away, sulking.

"Oh God, Arthur, if that's what it took to get him to stop whining, why didn't you do sooner?" Elyan asked, making the whole of them snicker.

"Fine, have it your way"Merlin answered, looking crossed

"Don't be such a _girl _Merlin, I don't even know what got you so upset, we've faced far more dangerous thing that a group of bandits.

-And that's a reason to go looking for trouble instead of enjoying the peace because...?

-Because we're knights, Merlin, and that's what we do: we protect people. I don't expect you to understand.

-You know what, you're right.

-Of course I am" Arthur answered, looking both pleased with himself and surprised at the same time that he had managed to win their argument so swiftly. Merlin was usually a lot less accommodating than that.

"I don't think I'll ever get to understand how you can be such an insensitive prat!

-Nor I how you can be such an idiot.

-Clotpole

-Can't you come up with anything more imaginative?"

Seeing how Merlin immediately opened him mouth to give what was with no doubt a rather impressive lists of insults that would suit the King, Arthur added quickly

"Never mind that, just keep quiet"

They reached the outskirts of the forest where the thugs had been sighted on the second day, around noon. After a short pose to eat a bit of cheese and dry meat, they set off to where the bandits had last been reported, in the hope they would find a trail there to lead them to where they were hiding. Fortunately, it had not rained in days so the trail had probably not been erased. They rode through the forest in silence as Merlin was unusually quiet. He had ended up out of arguments to go on complaining and since no one paid him any attention anyway, he resumed to his usual friendly banter with the knights. However, since they had enter the forest, he had become strangely withdrawn. Arthur and the other knights, thinking that he was merely sulking (or that he had miraculously gained some sense of discretion) paid him no mind. The truth was sadder than this: Merlin knew this forest, he knew it well, and it brought up many memories, sad and painful ones. He knew where the path they were traveling on was leading and it came at no surprise to him when they came out of the forest to see a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains, a lake where he once had had to bury the woman he loved. He was so distracted by his thoughts, wondering what kind of sick joke fate was playing on him by making him come here chasing after stupid muggers of all things, that he failed to notice the noises coming from behind them, or the shapes moving at the edge of the forest. It came as a complete surprise then when an arrow plunged into his mare's leg, causing it to kick out. He was on his butt before even starting to understand that they were under attack and that the the outlaws they had been looking for had actually had the amiability to save them the trouble and decided to show up.

It came as a surprise to all of them actually, but even taken off guards, the knights of Camelot were formidable soldiers. Soon enough they got their senses back and when their attackers came charging and shouting, having grown bored sticking to arrows, they were ready to fight them. The second nasty surprise of the day was that instead of the ten or twenty bandits they were expecting, they were facing a far greater number of foes. Leon and Percival, which had been riding to the front were separated from the others and they struggled to get back to them so they could join forces. However, no less than a dozen enemy were between them and the rest of their comrades. Sir Percival was using a tree branch he had found as a mace after his sword was taken from him and his opponents recoiled from him, scared of the sheer strength he was displaying. Sir Leon was not idle either. He used his sword with deadly efficiency to slash at anyone who would have had the stupid idea to attack Percival from behind as he was literally opening a path for them. Meanwhile, Arthur was once again demonstrating his talents with a sword: hitting one man, using him as a shield against the arrows that where sent his way and then killing two bandits in one swift motion when they got unwisely too close to him. Sir Elyan had his king's back despite the arrow embedded in his left shoulder and Gwaine made his way to where he had seen Merlin fall earlier on. Things were looking up for them as the number of thugs was decreasing rapidly when suddenly a man who had stood on the sidelines since the beginning of the fight decided to join in.

He was huge and broad shouldered, and even though he didn't quite reached Percival's level he was still very impressive. He had three parallels scars across his face which looked like they had been done by some kind of animal and, as if he wasn't intimidating enough, he wore an expression of such hatred and anger that he almost seemed demonic.

"I'm not going to be ridiculed by _Camelot_ knights of all people" he shouted "Get out of my way you useless scumbags" he went on, all the while pushing his men out of the way as he strode towards Arthur. Merlin, watching the scene from afar, could only groan in frustration. Why couldn't the bad, mean looking men chose to attack someone else for a change, instead of _always_ going after Arthur as if he had the inscription "attack me on sight" tattooed on his forehead? Was it too much to ask?

He didn't have time to dwell on it any longer because the man had already reached Arthur and proceeded to send a huge ax swinging his way. Arthur ducked in time to avoid it, barely, and immediately counter attacked but the other just shrugged his blow as if it was nothing and started lashing out at him. Merlin looked desperately for a way to aid his king when a strange sensation caused him to stop dead in his track. It was like a shiver going down his spine, an instinctive reaction that took its source deep within himself: someone was doing magic close by and it was certainly no harmless spell. He turned his head to the right were he could sense the magic coming from and he ran in that direction. He found a elderly woman, dressed in rags, a few meters away from the fight hidden by the trees. She was chanting in the Ancient language and them she looked at him straight in the eye and her eyes turned golden for the second, informing him before she told him so that he had been too late. Whatever it was meant to do, the enchantment had been completed. She smiled evilly and made a shooing gesture which send him flying straight into a tree. Furious, he muttered a few words and she was the one sent against a tree, hard. She collapsed and didn't woke up. He ran back to the others, hoping that noting too bad had happened while he was gone and could only curse when he saw that the knights were fighting the last bandits while the king was still battling the scarred man. He didn't seem to be doing so well. He was holding his own but it was obvious that he was becoming tired and Arthur was bound to make a mistake at one point. Seeing an opening, he cast a spell. A few meters away, the scarred man suddenly stumbled on a root that had not been there before and Arthur was quick to take advantage of it. His sword traced a red line on the man stomach and he collapsed on his knees, hissing in pain. Arthur finished him off and suddenly an eerie silence replaced the sound of battle.

"Well, that went well" said Gwaine, looking very pleased with himself.

And then, as if on cue, a screeching sound came from above them and they barely had the time to take cover before _something_ landed hard in front of them. It was some kind of mix between a snake and a bat: it had two viper-like heads attached to what was looking like a bat body with huge wings. It was two meter high and when it screeched, the sound resonated in their heads causing them to groan in pain.

"I was wondering when things would get interesting" Gwaine added, looking a bit less pleased than he has been just seconds before.

Merlin had been wondering what the old hag had been planning and he had to hand it to her: she did not do things halfheartedly.

"With me!" Arthur shouted and soon enough the knights were in position around him as they marched to the beast. Another painful screech was the only warning they got before the creature attacked them, dispersing their formation. Arthur stumbled backwards and, tripping over the body a bandit, he fell to the ground just as the thing was on him.

"No!" Merlin shouted, running to his king and knowing all the while that he was not going to make it in time. Almost without thinking, he slowed the time and managed to get to his friend just as one of the viper's head was striking. It bit Merlin's shoulder and with a cry of pain and fear and rage all at once he swung his own sword at the beast slashing it just between the two heads. It howled with pain and took a step back, allowing the knights to come to their friends help. Merlin fell on his knees as a burning pain made its way from his shoulder to the rest of his body and soon he was nothing but pain, hot pain, oblivious to the cry of rage of Arthur, oblivious of the fact that the knights, driven by anger, were holding the beast off. He didn't see Arthur give the fatal blow nor did he sensed them crowding around him, asking him if he was alright. The pain erased everything he was till he wasn't even able to remember his own name or that of the people talking to him.

"Merlin? Merlin, answer me you idiot! Answer me, that's an order!" Arthur should have known it would do nothing. Merlin never did as he was told anyway. Gwaine was bandaging the wound but judging from the fever radiating off of Merlin's body and his cries of pain, it would be useless because he had been poisoned. Feelings of dread came over Arthur when he realized that Merlin had saved his life at the cost of his own, yet again, and that the best friend he had ever had was going to die before his eyes without him being able to do anything about it.

"No!" He shouted again. It served no purpose except maybe to try and diffuse the horrible sense of loss and guilt and the awful sadness he felt, looking at the face of his loyal manservant sweaty from the fever and contorted in a mask of pain. "Why did you do that you _idiot_! Why do you always do that?!" His voice was no more than a whisper now but it didn't matter anyways for Merlin didn't seem to hear him at all. The knights around him could, though, but right now they didn't care. They were too busy dealing with their own hurt. Arthur and Merlin may have had a special bond but it didn't mean that the others where indifferent to his agony: he had taken an important place in their heart: the loyal, happy go lucky, brave and whining manservant who followed them in all of their adventures no matter how dangerous, without a shield or a weapon and who always managed to get through anything. The one that was the most affected through was probably Gwaine. He had been Merlin's friend before being Arthur's and to see the one he considered like a brother dying in some ridiculous skirmish against a group of thugs they shouldn't even have to deal with was infuriating. But the worst part, probably for all of them, was the guilt. Merlin was no fighter. They were supposed to protect him, not let him throw himself in front of a dangerous beast because they had failed to slay it. All throughout their internal struggle they didn't stay idle. After Gwaine had bandaged the wound, Leon had taken his water skin and proceeded to wet a cloth and to place it on Merlin's forehead to try to cool down his fever and Percival and Elyan had gone to gather some wood to make a fire for the night. Camping in the middle of a battlefield was not pleasant but they didn't dare to move Merlin just yet.

However, not sooner had they left the others than a shout was heard. Rushing to their comrades, what they saw made them stop dead in their tracks. A beautiful woman was standing before the lake -scratch that she was standing _above_ the lake.

"Sorcerer!" Arthur shouted, rising with his sword in hand as he positioned himself to be standing between the woman and Merlin.

The woman paid him no mind. She looked intently behind the king, straight at Merlin's face with a look of immense sorrow on her face.

"Oh Merlin!" she said, looking as if she was going to cry.

"Who are you? What do you want with us?" Arthur asked, looking as stern as his father. Then glancing at Merlin and back at the woman he added: "What do you want with Merlin?"

The woman looked at him then, for the first time, and answered:

"You don't remember me? I suppose it's not surprising, we didn't meet for long after all.

-I've met you? Where?"

She smiled sadly and didn't answer his question, instead she walked towards Merlin, her eyes once again fixed on his face.

"Stop right now!" Arthur ordered. At once, the knights stood side by side with their king, daring her to take a step forward. She startled and then spoke in a desperate, pleading voice:

"I mean you no harm. I merely wish to help you." She pointed at Merlin "to help him"

"why would you do such a thing?"

She opened her mouth to answer but just then they heard a moaning and all turned to look at Merlin. His eyes were open and he looked at the scene taking place before him as if he was not really seeing anything. Then his gaze settled on the woman and he spoke:

"Freya?" She smiled at him and then despite the terrible pain he must have been feeling, a brilliant, wide grin appeared on his face. He radiated with some kind of emotion that Arthur couldn't place.

"Am I dreaming? Is that really you?

-No Merlin, it's really me

-I am dead then...

_-You know her_?!

-Arthur?" Merlin's face went from ecstatic to horrified in a second and suddenly he was speaking, fast, sounding as desperate and pleading as the woman had moments before

"You're dead too?! Oh god I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I should have been faster, I should have been better I'm so sorry...

-Woa slow down no one is dead", Gwaine said.

"-What? But..." He trailed off, looking uncertainly at the girl. She smiled again, a small, sad smile:

"You're not meant to die here Merlin. I was allowed to leave Avalon to heal you. I'm getting rid of the poison as we speak."

She moved closer to him then and the knights, bewildered, didn't say anything. She kneeled before him and the warlock raised a hand towards her, as if to caress her cheek. However, his hand passed through her as if there was nothing there.

"I'm not really here Merlin, as much as I would like to. I was allowed to save you for your fate is not to die here but I cannot do more than purge your body of the poison. I'm afraid your wound will have to get healed by someone else.

-Don't worry. Even if I can't touch you, the joy of seeing you again is worth any pain."

She smiled again, and a single tear ran down her cheek as she gazed lovingly at him.

"I missed you so much..."

The knights, who all felt like invading some kind of intimate moment that was not meant for them, were fidgeting awkwardly. Only Arthur stayed very still, a look of deep concentration etched on his face. He was thinking about what he heard from the girl -Freya apparently. She said they had met before. He was trying desperately to remember where he had met her when suddenly, the memory of a young druid girl changing into a winged cat came to his mind.

"You!" He cried, effectively destroying the moment between Merlin and Freya, "you're the bastet!

Merlin glanced at him worriedly but Freya paid him no mind, concentrated on the effort she was making to save Merlin's life. As strength seemed to be coming back to him, Freya's shape was becoming strangely transparent, and she looked more and more like the ghost she was.

"Don't go!" Merlin pleaded

"I have to. Don't worry my love, we'll see each other again, just not right now .

-I'll miss you"

She smiled one last time and then turned to face the King.

"Yes sire, I'm the Bastet.

-I killed you.

-Yes.

-What are you doing here then?

-Merlin's time is not over yet. I came to make sure of that.

-You're a sorcerer.

-Not really, no. Does it even matter?

-Why did you help us? Why not simply let him die to take revenge on me?

-Because I love him and because I don't blame you. The Bastet was a monster that I couldn't control. I had been cursed by the witch and there was nothing I could do about it. You did the right thing, killing me. You freed me of the curse and made sure I would never have to kill anyone again. I'm grateful for that.

-You're... grateful?

-Yes. I wish there had been an other way though. Could you do something for me?

-What is it?

-Take care of him." She said, designating Merlin. "He is a good man.

-I will" Arthur promised

"Then my time here is over. Farewell.

-Wait! The shout came from Arthur. He looked to be struggling with something and then "I'm sorry." he said, looking at her straight in the eye and then bowing to her.

She smiled again, and with a last longing look at Merlin,she vanished as if she has never even been there. No one spoke for a long time, all of them looking at Merlin who was staring at where the druid girl had stood moments before. And then, as if the force that had kept him conscious the whole time left him at once he passed out. Gwaine, worried, went to his side and placed a hand on his forehead.

"His fever is almost gone. I think he's just exhausted. Whatever that woman did, it helped him."

The others nodded, not speaking up.

"Alright, are you going to explain this to us or something. What happened? Who was she? And what the hell is a Bastet?" asked Gwaine, pissed off of being kept in the dark , especially in a matter that concerned Merlin.

Arthur didn't answer, his face ashen, and the duty fell to Sir Leon, as he has been part of the team sent after the girl, to tell the others the story of the druid girl that had escaped the bounty hunter and killed several people before they could put an end to it years ago.

"So it was Merlin that helped her escape?" Elyan asked

"It would seem so.

-They loved each other." It was a statement not a question "And you killed her." Gwaine added bluntly, not really caring if he upset the princess who had killed the woman his best friend loved before his eyes.

"I didn't know. And even if I had known, I don't know how much it would have changed things. She was dangerous and I merely did my duty to my people." Even though he said that he looked very much as if he was going to be sick so the others just let him be.

They spent the rest of the night taking turns to look after Merlin in case his wound got infected and they set out to ride to Camelot the next morning. None of them were saying anything, all deeply immersed in their thoughts. They rode much faster than before, eager to get Merlin to Gaius as soon as possible and they made it to Camelot an hour or so after nightfall. Leon had went forward to warn Gaius and the both of them were waiting for them as they entered the courtyard. The took Merlin to his chambers, were Gaius proceeded to clean the wound and bandaged it. When he was done, he took one look at them before ordering them to go get some rest. Gwaine, being the usual mother hen he was when it concerned Merlin had shrugged it off and said that he could pretty much sleep everywhere and that included the chair next to Merlin's bed. Arthur didn't complain though and left with the others, wanting to be alone to think about what happened without the constant reminder of having Merlin in front of him.

Two days later, Merlin sat in his bed, complaining loudly to Gaius. He was feeling much better now and didn't get why Gaius was so concerned about him leaving his bed. Apparently, the thing that attacked them -a Vinord according to Gaius- was very dangerous and had a very powerful venom (as if he hadn't noticed ). So here he was, in his bed, not allowed to get up and being bored out of his mind. The knights came to see him, of course, but they had various duty to perform that prevented them from spending so much time with him, no matter how much Gwaine claimed that he was ready to miss a few of those duties to help Merlin recover, and what better place to do just that than to go to the tavern and drink a few pint? Things had been awkward at first, between him and the knights but they had come to a silent understanding: neither of them spoke about this. Things had just got back to what they used to be, except for one thing: Arthur hadn't come to visit him at all during those two days: no insult for him being a stupid useless manservant that just _had_ to use any opportunity to slack off, no teasing, no confronting to demand an explanation as to how he had known personally a sorcerer and had failed to inform him of it. He hadn't even asked to have news about him that stubborn, idiotic _clotpole_! He didn't dare to ask Gwaine what Arthur was doing so he spent his time alone wondering if he would get fired or locked in the dungeons or simply ignored as if nothing had happened.

He was woken by a strange feeling. Suddenly, he knew he was not alone anymore, someone was in the room with him. He perked up, curious (and a bit worried) to see who he was

"Arhtur?!" He exclaimed "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Arthur looked taken aback. Apparently he hadn't expected Merlin to wake up. But then he looked at him and turned away, unable to look at him any longer. He tried to tell himself that he had done the right thing, that he had had to protect his people but he couldn't get rid of the terrible suffocating guilt of knowing that he had killed the woman his closest friend loved. They sat in silence, not looking at each other for a while when Merlin, unable to take it any longer, spoke up:

"Was there something you needed" he asked, unsure of what the king was doing in his room.

"Why?" the question had blurted out of Arthur's mouth before he could think of what he was saying, and he waited anxiously for his manservant to answer.

"Why? Well you don't usually come to see me in the middle of the night so I was just wondering... Are you going to give some chores to do or what because if that's what you're planning to do then I warn you: Gaius said that...

-Shut up" he cried out, exasperated "That's not what I meant. I just..." He looked unsure of himself, which was surprising "I just... Why did you stay? Why did you never said anything? Why didn't you... I don't know, try to punch for what I did or _something_! How could you just …" He trailed off, unable to express what he was feeling any longer.

Merlin looked at him for a long time, before answering.

"I couldn't tell you that I had helped a druid escape when it was your _father_ that paid for her to be executed" Arthur cringed at that "and I couldn't tell you because you would have blamed yourself -as you are doing right now- when really it's not you're fault. You did what you had to do. I should have protected her better." the last sentence was spoken in such a week voice that Arthur was surprised he had heard it at all.

"It wasn't your fault either, Merlin. She was cursed, there was nothing you could have done to change that" Arthur said in a firm tone "Nothing!"

"Maybe, maybe not... As for why I stayed... I couldn't afford to lose you and Gwen and Gaius and everyone along with Freya. You didn't know -nobody did- but you helped anyway. I have a life here, and friends and it helped me get over with it... to some extent.

-You really loved her didn't you?

-Yes. I wanted to take her out of Camelot, in a nice place where she would have been safe. I wanted to go with her.

-You were _leaving?!_

-Yes, I was. But in the end she died and I stayed. I wish she was still with me but I'm glad I'm still here. I would have missed Camelot I think.

-And we would have missed you"

Merlin smiled at him, almost sheepish, and then he added teasingly:

"So you admit you care for me?

-I said no such thing!" Arthur said.

"Yes you did!

-No I didn't!

-Come on stop being an insensitive prat, admit it already!

-There's nothing to admit!" The king huffed, looking very much like a sulking child. Merlin bit back a laugh.

Angry, Arthur stormed towards the door and, just before leaving, he turned and added:

"You better get better soon. I expect you back to your duties as soon as possible. There are a lot of chores waiting for you!"

and with that he turned around and left the room. Merlin smiled. Oh yes, he was glad to have stayed in Camelot. It was moments like this, when in his own pratish way Arthur showed how much he did care that Merlin knew it was worth it to have dedicated his whole life to the protection of Arthur. Not because of destiny, not because of duty but because no matter what he was his friend.

**There it is, finally done!**

**Now I'm not going to be exceptionally original with this but please review to tell me if you liked it or not (be honest I don't mind criticism, it's good for my ego, just stay polite about it) and if it's worth I try to write something else. (There will be no sequel in case you're wondering). **

**Thanks for reading (and hopefully reviewing) I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Fantasy-nat.**


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